Sights and sounds from the 2013 presidential inauguration

Countless Americans descended upon the nation’s capital Jan. 21 to witness the 57th presidential inauguration. Many onlookers woke up at the crack of dawn for the occasion.

The journey to the Capitol Building, the site of the inauguration, was one filled with crowded Metro stops, blocked-off streets, hundreds of guards, hours of waiting in lines and security checkpoints with metal detectors. The Metro started operating at 4 a.m. and many were sure to be there exactly at that time.

Lines quickly formed outside of the checkpoint gates where inauguration-bound people patiently waited until 7 a.m. for the gates to open. Those who arrived in the wee hours of the morning were rewarded for their patience as many quickly rushed to the front row of the area their tickets granted them access to.

The inauguration officially began with the call to order and welcoming remarks given by New York Sen. Charles E. Schumer.

Those who were responsible for the portions of the ceremony that followed were the first of their kind. Myrlie Evers-Williams, widow of Civil Rights activist Medgar Evers, was the first non-clergy person to recite an invocation at an inauguration. Evers-Williams stressed for the president to lead courageously and also cautiously.

Richard Blanco was the youngest person to ever recite a poem at an inauguration. Blanco was also the first Hispanic and first member of the LGBT community to recite a poem at a swearing-in ceremony.

The Jumbotron allowed members of the audience to see important dignitaries walk down the hallways of the Capitol building and added to suspense. When images of the president and first lady, the first daughters, Vice President Joe Biden, and former President Bill Clinton appeared on the Jumbotrons, the audience cheered vigorously.

Once they made their appearance out on the balcony, they each received some of the loudest applause of the day, where in contrast, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich was booed when he appeared.

A man in the crowd climbed on top of one of the Jumbotrons to get a better view and was yelled at to get down by security personnel. He either did not hear them or ignored them because he did not move from his perch.

Eventually, a security officer approached and instructed the man to leave. After taking his time to get down, the man almost took out one of the Jumbotron receivers with his backpack. This caused the guards to yell some more and the people nearby to gasp; some audience members even chanted, “Throw him out! Throw him out!”

The vice-presidential oath of office was administered by Sonia Sotomayor, associate justice of the Supreme Court. Biden used a Bible that had been in his family since 1893. President Obama has the presidential oath of office administered to him by John G. Roberts Jr., the chief justice of the United States. The president was sworn into office using both Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr.’s Bibles.

James Taylor, Kelley Clarkson and Beyonce were responsible for the musical portions of the ceremony that were incorporated throughout the inauguration. Beyonce sang a sweet yet soulful rendition of the National Anthem at the end of the ceremony. The color guard retired the colors and the President and special guests exited the Capitol Building balcony.

Once the inauguration had concluded, the gates were open and a flood of people swarmed the streets. Everyone was right on top of each other, leaving barely any space to squeeze by; once you were in the crowd it was hard to get out. Metro stops nearby soon became overly crowded, and the movement of people halted. Most policemen and women were both kind and patient while directing traffic and advised the crowds about other Metro stops they could access.

As quickly as it had begun, the inauguration had ended. Obama had been sworn into his second and final term as president, but the city became alive once again for the inaugural parade and ball.

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